More than 190 countries agree on treaty to protect marine life

More than 190 countries over the weekend agreed to a United Nations treaty to protect marine biodiversity after two weeks of work on a draft and nearly two decades of talks.

The countries on Saturday night approved the “High Seas Treaty,” which will, among other measures, establish marine protected areas in international waters, the U.N. announced.

The first-of-its-kind, legally binding treaty is aimed at helping the planet reach the U.N.’s goal of protecting 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the ship has reached the shore,” said Singapore’s U.N. Ambassador Rena Lee, announcing the agreement.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the treaty “a victory for multilateralism” and “crucial for addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.”

“I’m extremely encouraged that countries have agreed on the UN legally binding instrument to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction,” Guterres said.

The United States had previously joined the European Commission’s High Ambition Coalition on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, a group committed to finalizing the U.N. treaty, according to Pew Research.